Words
by SpicyTofu
Summary: Nanoha attempts to write a poem to Fate. Keyword: attempts. One-shot, Drabble


**Disclaimer:: I own squat.**

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**::Words::**

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"So…what do you think?" Nanoha looked at her friend in earnest

"I think…Nanoha should stick to beating up bad guys."

"Mou Hayate! Be serious."

The young General gave her friend an apathetic look, "I am."

Nanoha sunk next to her friend on the couch, "I'm sorry, I've never done this before," she crumpled the paper in her hand, "I thought, maybe if I kept trying…it would come out right."

"I thought it was very pretty," a voice chimed in

"Thank you Vivio," Nanoha picked up the child and gave her a tight squeeze, "at least some people have regard to my feelings." She stuck out her tongue.

Vivio settled herself on her mama's lap, "Mmm. It was prettier than the other ones."

"Other ones!?" Hayate's head snapped up, "what other ones!? How many did you write?"

"Nyhaha…"

Hayate groaned, "Better yet, how many have you wrote, then read to this poor child?"

Vivio started to hold up her fingers but Nanoha took the child's small hands into her own, "It's not my fault poetry isn't my forte."

"Nanoha! It's not even your piano!"

The instructor threw her friend a frosty look, "way to kick a girl when she's down…"

Hayate giggled and gave her friend a hug, "Hey, don't worry. If it's Fate, I'm sure she'll love anything you get her."

"That's just it! I want to give her a memory, something she can remember, something…different." she looked at the crumpled paper in her hand, "I thought a poem would do it. But...I can't find the words."

Hayate glanced at Vivio, who was currently distracted by something on TV, "I don't know about words, but you know, if you're looking for something different, I have this new costume-"

"No! Hayate, I am not going to help you indulge in some weird fantasy you've had about us!" Nanoha glanced nervously at the child a few feet away

"I do not fantasize about other people!" Hayate huffed, "I have Yuuno for that…"

"Too much information!" her hand shot up to cover her ears, then lowering her voice, "Besides, whatever you two…do, may not suit the rest of us regular folk in society."

"I don't know, everyone appreciates a bit of role playing and…" the other girl leered, "handcuffs?"

Nanoha deadpanned, "Been there. Done that. Never again."

"S-seriously!?"

Nanoha shifted uncomfortably.

"Details please!"

Glancing at her daughter, she murmured, "um…I, um, sort of…lost the key."

Hayate's eyes bulged, "and?"

"and Vivio came in…" Nanoha's voice was barely above a whisper but Hayate caught every word…which is why she was rolling, quite literally, on the floor laughing.

At last, Vivio diverted her attention away from the television to stare at her aunty Hayate's current…state. "Nanoha-mama, what's so funny? Mama, are you sick? You're all red!"

Ah yes, Nanoha finally remembered why she stopped asking Hayate for relationship advice.

-x-x-x-

It was 6 o'clock and Nanoha clutched the paper in her hands and read it through one more time. _This was it…this was it…candles? check. Dinner? check. Vivio sleeping over at Vita's? check. Handcuffs? ahem…check._

Nanoha shoved the poem in her breast pocket, and checked on the pasta one more time to see if it was burnt before turning off the lights and sitting down to wait. She didn't have to wait long as she heard footsteps coming down the hall toward their apartment. _6:15, like she promised._

The door slid open to reveal a figure that was obviously travel-worn, sleep deprived, and ready to collapse. "I'm home." _Gods she missed that voice._

Lights flicked on and the blonde stopped trying to drag her suitcase through the door. "N-Nanoha…?"

"Hey," the brunette got up from the couch, "long time no see?" Burgundy eyes were transfixed on Nanoha, or more specifically, what she was wearing. If the blonde's gaping mouth and predatory gaze was any indication, the very much-unbuttoned blouse Nanoha was wearing did the trick. _okay so Hayate wasn't _completely_ useless._

Although it amused her greatly to see her friend so derailed by a blouse…and cleavage, she was afraid Fate's face would stay like that if she didn't move her facial muscles soon.

She smiled, "re-hinge that jaw and let's have dinner, neh Fate-chan?"

Fate straightened and now chose to simply stare at her counter-part, uncertain of what to do. Seconds passed between them, then minutes, until the brunette could wait no more, as her feet started moving before she could stop them.

Any weariness Fate might have had, disappeared. She pulled her suitcase through the door and a pair of arms found their way around her waist, closing the distance between them.

"I'm home," she breathed, pulling Nanoha closer.

A comfortable silence graced the two as they held each other, swaying to a silent melody only they could hear. Nanoha rested her head in the crook of Fate's head, and for the first time in months, she felt as though she could breathe again, _months, my god …it's been so long, and she left so suddenly…so suddenly…_

A sob broke the silence. Fate felt her collar getting wet, "Nanoha?" she looked down at the girl, "Nanoha…why are you crying?" her voice gentle, Fate eased the crying girl out of her embrace.

"Why am I crying?" Nanoha looked at her partner with disbelief, "I'm crying because of you, you jerk." Blue eyes bore angrily at the blonde, who continued to hold the girl by the waist.

"You left!" her hands formed into fists, and started pounding at Fate's chest, "for three months!" the pounding got weaker. "No calls!" _weaker_. "No mail." _weaker. _"Nothing…"

"I was assigned the night before, I told Hayate to tell you in the morning."

"I almost pulled a starlight breaker on her-"

"Nanoha!"

"I couldn't help it. You were gone…" Nanoha fell weakly against Fate, leaning on her for support, "for a long time."

"I'm back."

"you left no note."

"I'm sorry."

"you didn't call."

"I'm sorry."

"Vivio missed you."

"I missed her too."

"_I_ missed you."

"Nanoha?" Fate tightened her embrace, "I didn't want you to worry."

"And you thought disappearing for months at a time with no notice wasn't going to make me worry?"

Burgundy eyes shifted under her girlfriend's intense stare, "I didn't think."

"No, you didn't."

"I'm-" a finger shushed her

Shaking her head, Nanoha smiled meekly, "I'm just glad you're back, you don't have to apologize."

"But I have to ask," blue eyes gazed gently into burgundy, "how did you get your superior to let you off on our anniversary?" The blonde stiffened. Almost immediately, Nanoha broke their embrace, glaring.

"You forgot."

"..."

"Nanoha…" the temperature dropped, Fate was sure the temperature dropped

"You always do this!"

"Nanoha…"

"You forget and forget! Now I remember why I was mad at you before you left!"

"Nanoha…"

"You never listen, what happens when Vivio get older, huh? Then what Fate-chan?"

"Nanoha!"

"You're such a workaholi- mmph!" Fate kissed her roughly, robbing her of any coherent thought she might have had.

"Fate-chan-" she panted, as the blonde continued her assault, "-cheater…"

"I love you."

Nanoha struggled for air, for words, and gave up searching as the only thing that made sense left her lips "I love you too." when her eyes finally rediscovered focus, she realized Fate was starring at her chest. She blushed at the blonde's forwardness, until she remembered what was in her pocket.

"What's that?" _Shoot._

"Nothing!" _now that I think of it, no need to ruin a perfectly good evening with_ _my heinous poetry, right?_

_"_Nanoha, there's a note in your pocket, written in _pink_ ink...what is it?_" Come on Takamachi! Think, think, think... _blue eyes searched frantically for something to distract her curious girlfriend, _-AH HA! _Fate made a grab for the note but the other girl was faster, shoving her lover onto the couch, and before the blonde could say another word, she found herself quite securely handcuffed to the couch. Suddenly Nanoha found Fate's position **very** appealing, _and to think I didn't want to use these things again…_

"Nanoha? What's this?" the blonde tugged at her wrists, unable to see the cuffs that bound her

Blue eyes twinkled as they took in the sight of her lover, "Happy Anniversary, Fate-chan."

Burgundy eyes widened, "w-wait."

Slowly, the brunette unbuttoned the enforcer's shirt to reveal the lean body underneath. A body she was deprived of for three _long_ months.

_Who needs poetry? _Nanoha straddled her girlfriend and smirked_ words are cheap, but actions…_

"H-Handcuffs?!" Fate struggled with her binds, "b-but Nanoha, we're on the c-couch!"

"It's okay, Vivio's sleeping over Vita's tonight," Nanoha trailed her fingers down the blonde's side, enjoying the feel of gooseflesh under her touch. _Yes, actions…I could get used to actions…_

Fate sucked in a breath as she felt fingers sliding up the length of her inner thigh.

"I guess dinner's gonna get cold," Nanoha breathed into her captive's ear, "neh, Fate-chan?"

Fate-chan never did figure out what was written on that piece of paper.

**The End**

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a/n:: I'm not sure…what I just wrote… –runs away-

20 minutes to write. 20 minutes to beta. I cannot be held accountable for any actions I take after eating girl scout cookies. I am dead serious.


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